Juniors: Flamengo wins, but is eliminated from the OPG Cup
Rubro-Negro presses, misses penalty, has two expulsions, wins 4-2, but cannot reverse four-goal advantage against Botafogo
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
Four red cards, three penalties, one of which was missed, and countless missed chances... Flamengo and Botafogo's cloudy Wednesday afternoon clash in Gávea had the excitement of a classic. The Flamengo and Botafogo needed to thrash their rivals to advance to the next round of the Octávio Pinto Guimarães Junior Cup (OPG Cup). They started well, but the task was daunting, and a 4-2 victory wasn't enough to qualify for Mengão.
Flamengo started the game at full steam. Needing to score four goals (and not concede any) to take the match to penalties, or more to qualify without a penalty shootout, the Red-Blacks attacked, attacked, and were rewarded in the 20th minute: a penalty, which Camacho converted well to open the scoring. The goal further fueled the Gávea team, which extended its lead in the 26th minute with Diego Maurício, following a superb pass from Dieguinho.
Just when it looked like Flamengo would get going, they suffered a heavy blow in the 34th minute. Marquinhos pulled a goal back for Botafogo with a bicycle kick, a move completely ignored by the defense of coach Armênio Moura's team. The team went into the locker room needing to score three more times in the second half if they weren't to concede any more goals. With Camacho, Erick, and Diego Maurício in high spirits, it wasn't impossible.
Erick Flores proved this just two minutes into the second half. After a beautiful backheel pass from Diego Maurício, the midfielder slotted past the goalkeeper to score the third. In the 10th minute, a crucial moment in the match: a penalty for Flamengo. It was a great chance to take the lead, corner Botafogo, and be just one goal away from taking the quarterfinals to penalties. But Camacho's shot was poor, the goalkeeper saved, the defense cleared the rebound, and everything started to fall into place for Botafogo.
Two minutes later, Erick Flores missed a goal inside the box, hitting the crossbar. In the 20th minute, defender Cristiano was sent off. In the 21st minute, Rafael Galhardo also received a red card, leaving Flamengo with two men down. Soon after, a penalty for Botafogo was awarded. Alex converted, making the red-and-black mission virtually impossible. Shortly after, the referee made amends: he sent off Welinton and Alex. The Gávea team didn't give up and kept pressing. Diego Maurício scored the fourth, but it was of little use, and Flamengo is out of the OPG Cup.
Flamengo started the game at full steam. Needing to score four goals (and not concede any) to take the match to penalties, or more to qualify without a penalty shootout, the Red-Blacks attacked, attacked, and were rewarded in the 20th minute: a penalty, which Camacho converted well to open the scoring. The goal further fueled the Gávea team, which extended its lead in the 26th minute with Diego Maurício, following a superb pass from Dieguinho.
Just when it looked like Flamengo would get going, they suffered a heavy blow in the 34th minute. Marquinhos pulled a goal back for Botafogo with a bicycle kick, a move completely ignored by the defense of coach Armênio Moura's team. The team went into the locker room needing to score three more times in the second half if they weren't to concede any more goals. With Camacho, Erick, and Diego Maurício in high spirits, it wasn't impossible.
Erick Flores proved this just two minutes into the second half. After a beautiful backheel pass from Diego Maurício, the midfielder slotted past the goalkeeper to score the third. In the 10th minute, a crucial moment in the match: a penalty for Flamengo. It was a great chance to take the lead, corner Botafogo, and be just one goal away from taking the quarterfinals to penalties. But Camacho's shot was poor, the goalkeeper saved, the defense cleared the rebound, and everything started to fall into place for Botafogo.
Two minutes later, Erick Flores missed a goal inside the box, hitting the crossbar. In the 20th minute, defender Cristiano was sent off. In the 21st minute, Rafael Galhardo also received a red card, leaving Flamengo with two men down. Soon after, a penalty for Botafogo was awarded. Alex converted, making the red-and-black mission virtually impossible. Shortly after, the referee made amends: he sent off Welinton and Alex. The Gávea team didn't give up and kept pressing. Diego Maurício scored the fourth, but it was of little use, and Flamengo is out of the OPG Cup.